Saturday, February 7, 2015

The Eye of God represents the
heavenly force that is watching over us. In viewing this series I want the
viewer to not think of the hell and brimstone idea of God, but one of
celebration and merriment. The symbol for the Eye of God can be seen in Persian
and Egyptian art. These eyes are forceful, majestic and royal. The black
outline of the eye has a very prominent and firm presence.

Despite his omniscience and
omnipotent power, I believe God has a sense of humor. Figures in these
paintings are either working hard or being silly. The dichotomy of such an
existence makes me think of good-hearted pranks between college fraternity or
sorority students who are serious about their education.

As a person raised in the
Mormon church I grew up learning that all people existed before we were born.
My whole life I’ve wondered how we would have been if we were babies living in
the presence of God. I imagine spirit babies as free and youthful beings
running around their celestial world. I think of God as a kind of big spirit
baby among the children. In the series God is a jolly, slightly pudgy figure
with a warm, inviting grin on his face.

I want people to view
spirituality as a positive and fun experience. I invite you to join me in this
joyful exhibition about our Creator.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

It's crazy to believe the work is over. I've done 29 panels. The goal was to paint over 25 panels in 3 months. I realized I had to have a strong work ethic to get this ridiculous amount of work accomplished. I would do two to three panels a week at the studio. Some were duds. Those were the detours of the journey, where I would question "is this project going right?" But the next day a new successful painting was on its way. I sketched like a madman, seven to twelve hours a week. Thousands of computer paper and glue used up. I'm glad that I finished up the project. I have enough pieces to cover the solo room at Warehouse 1005. The show is February third Friday to March first Friday. I believe this series is epic weirdness, motivated by religion with a tad of whimsy. Like the Apothoesis show a couple months back it's a simple religious concept. But I hope to help people resonate what is the eye of god and it's historical implications. I will of course provide nicer photos for the finished paintings on the blog and pictures of the exhibition. Can't wait!

Angels are the centerpiece in this work. In the middle are angels with two wings pinned to them. The angels look like bulls or some animal. I hadn't yet attempted that type of wings yet in this series. Grass is in the center of the work. I've done enough clouds and skies. A group of man angels circle the piece. They create a swirling movement. Trees also circle the piece and become a decorative element in the work

I did the Egyptian figures with the striped black and peroxide hair color again. I've had fun doing the crazy hair style. It adds a playful and wacky feeling to the works. I had to repeat the crown shaped hair style. Except this time I wanted the crown haired people are angels. I put the striped hair style on them which made them look like bees. I thought it was a little tacky but liked the added tomfoolery. The two main figures are twins. This is a hidden motif in my work the idea of a doppelganger or a body double of you. When we think of side shows we think of conjoined wins.
I think of fun house mirrors where can see several versions of yourself. None of us are straightforward, our complexities make us have several personalities to a degree. Twins create a lampoon effect fun but twisted at the same time.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

I wanted to include the soccer ball motif that I had done earlier in the blog spot. I felt that I should explore this motif some more.
I explored the college hazing theme here again except it is more sadistic. The figures are dunking some heads in water. Others are running around kicking the balls. The jolly fat king figure is in the front and at the bottom. I again included the peroxide hair. It looks wonky and madcap.Forests and cloud make this a dreamy landscape.

I liked the coffin of Henutmehyt because it is noble and majestic but odd. The sculpture has two eyes with a huge gap in the middle. The eyes were exotic and weird, and looked like a face. I wanted to paint a face with the two eyes. The Eye of Horus symbol is generally one eye. I like the idea of using two Eye of Horus. It demystified the eye and makes it playful. I painted the eyes on the background figures. Except they have peroxide blond hair which makes it less Egyptian and idiotic. The trees and the clouds on the side of the painting help give the picture a soft and calming touch. I hadn't included the man angels in while. Two of them are flying overhead. They have a gawkiness that helps break some of the elegance in the picture.

I realized I hadn't yet attempted to do something with Egyptian writing. I added a simple cartouche shape at the bottom of the woman with Eye of Horus symbol. It helps give it a dignifying and lyrical feel.

About Me

I came from a family of writers and artists. My brother is a successful muralist. My mom was a published Mormon historian, who got published in the New Era. My sister Beth is a published short story writer.As an artist I am influenced by both caricature and murals. I paint about my mental health and my introspective emotions.